1. Technical Field
The present invention is directed to an improved data processing system. More specifically, the present invention is directed to an apparatus, system and method for providing speech recognition assist in call handover.
2. Description of Related Art
In support operations it is customary to organize the call center in terms of “levels of support.” For example, level-1 support personnel are trained in basic diagnostic and remediation procedures only. Level-2 personnel are typically more specialized and are trained in a particular area of support. Calls are answered by level-1 personnel and if they determine that the assistance of level-2 personnel is required, they determine which specialization to hand the call over to, initiate a connection to the appropriate level-2 specialist, and inform the caller that they are being transferred to another support person. This organization allows many of the support calls to be handled by level-1 personnel who are typically paid less. This minimizes the overall cost of providing support without limiting the ability of the support center to handle difficult cases, requiring specialized training.
A caller who finds that the initial support personnel cannot handle their problem and is handed over to a level-2 support professional, often must repeat some or all of the information provided to the level-1 person. Basic identifying information, such as name, address, and product identification is often captured by the level-1 person using a computer-based software application, such as applications which store data provided by the operator by filling in a form. But often, the caller provides information relating to the reason for the call in an unstructured manner in response to questions posed by the call-taker, and this information is difficult to summarize and key into a computer system quickly.
More to the point, the call-taker may ultimately be able to resolve the caller's problem so that it will prove unnecessary to capture such information in a computer system. However, if the call is ultimately transferred to a level-2 specialist, this information may be of importance. Since most calls are handled by level-1 personnel, the default policy is not to take time to capture the caller-provided problem information. Rather, the level-1 personnel are forced to provide, if anything, a very concise summary of the caller's problem.
This is a source of potential error in that the level-1 personnel may not summarize the caller's problem appropriately or essential details may not be provided. Therefore, it would be beneficial to have an apparatus, system and method for capturing caller problem information to assist in call handover.